Start a conversation wherever you go with the handmade book purse by Susannah Peddie. Every handmade purse has to have a story, and the book purse does not disappoint (because a book purse, especially, needs to have a story).
The story:
Almost 20 years ago, Susannah was on a creative kick to make purses out of object that didn't know they could be purses, but she knew they could. She was shopping at Book Gallery West in Gainesville, FL when she came across a book that had art printed directly on the cover (not just on the book jacket). Her eyes sparkled as she thought of the possibility of making a purse out of this beautiful find. She purchased it, took it home, and made a purse out of it. She gave away her first purse, but never forgot this one beautiful book. Recently, she was cleaning out drawers and saw another copy of the book that she had bought on Amazon a few years earlier and decided it was time to make another purse. The book is A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe.
On her quest to find the perfect materials for the purse, she visited Grove Galleria, Uniquities, Haven Hospice Attic, Joann Fabric, Etsy, Sandy's Savvy Chic Resale Boutique, Bead All About It, and more. She found the perfect beads (by unstringing necklaces and bracelets from Uniquities and Grove Galleria) and adding to the collections from Bead All About It & Joann Fabric. She used buttons and costume jewelry collected from various places as well. The fabric on the side of the purse came from a pair of repurposed pants from Sandy's.
The hedgehog on the clasp came from a pair of earrings gifted to her by her talented designer friend, Jacquelyn Manfredi (Susannah unfortunately lost the mate to the earring and this was the best use to repurpose it). Susannah had Jacquelyn's hedgehog (Hedgie) at her house for a week and they bonded, but unfortunately, Susannah's cat was not happy to have competition in the house, so Hedgie went back home.